Mississippi virus cases surpass 13,000 with 433 hospitalized

Published
2:47 pm CDT, Saturday, May 23, 2020

A patron rushes into the WaterView Casino and Hotel in Vicksburg, Miss., Thursday, May 21, 2020, for a morning of gaming, following a two-month shutdown due to coronavirus. Casinos statewide are allowed to reopen Thursday, amid enhanced restrictions to keep customers and employees safe. less

A patron rushes into the WaterView Casino and Hotel in Vicksburg, Miss., Thursday, May 21, 2020, for a morning of gaming, following a two-month shutdown due to coronavirus. Casinos statewide are allowed to ... more

Photo: Rogelio V. Solis, AP

Photo: Rogelio V. Solis, AP

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A patron rushes into the WaterView Casino and Hotel in Vicksburg, Miss., Thursday, May 21, 2020, for a morning of gaming, following a two-month shutdown due to coronavirus. Casinos statewide are allowed to reopen Thursday, amid enhanced restrictions to keep customers and employees safe. less

A patron rushes into the WaterView Casino and Hotel in Vicksburg, Miss., Thursday, May 21, 2020, for a morning of gaming, following a two-month shutdown due to coronavirus. Casinos statewide are allowed to ... more

Photo: Rogelio V. Solis, AP

Mississippi virus cases surpass 13,000 with 433 hospitalized

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Confirmed coronavirus cases in Mississippi have surpassed 13,000, with more than 1,600 in long-term care facilities, according to the state health department.

The figures on the state health department website Saturday showed totals as of Friday night. They showed the state, with a population of about 3 million, has recorded at least 616 coronavirus-related deaths — more than 300 of them in long-term care facilities. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 was 433. That number has been as low as 406 and as high as 462 in the past week.

The figures were posted after Gov. Tate Reeves on Friday said he was adding another week to his statewide “safer at home” order because of the pandemic, although he eased restrictions on water parks and other outdoor sports and leisure venues. The new expiration date is June 1.

Tighter restrictions remain in Holmes County, which has a high rate of the virus. And, Reeves has asked people to limit the size of gatherings during Memorial Day weekend.

Some venues that are allowed to be reopen in Mississippi aren't rushing. The Sun-Herald reports that the Beau Rivage casino on the coast won't open until June 1, even though 11 other south Mississippi casinos have opened.

Travis Lunn, the president and chief operating officer of Beau Rivage, told the newspaper that a quick opening was never the goal.

The Gold Strike Casino, Beau Rivage's “sister resort,” reopens on Memorial Day in Tunica in northern Mississippi. Lunn said several Beau Rivage executives and department heads were at Gold Strike to observe and understand the new dynamics of state regulations.